Grimm's law

(ɡrɪmz)

n

(Linguistics) the rules accounting for systematic correspondences between consonants in the Germanic languages and consonants in other Indo-European languages; it states that Proto-Indo-European voiced aspirated stops, voiced unaspirated stops, and voiceless stops became voiced unaspirated stops, voiceless stops, and voiceless fricatives respectively

[formulated by Jakob Grimm]

Grimm's′ law′

n.

a statement of the regular pattern of consonant correspondences presumed to represent changes from Proto-Indo-European to Germanic, according to which voiced aspirated stops became voiced obstruents, voiced unaspirated stops became voiceless stops, and voiceless stops became voiceless fricatives: first formulated 1820–22 by Jakob Grimm.

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